Frequently Asked Questions

For bulbs and wipers, the PIAA Application Guides let you look up the correct part for your vehicle. If your vehicle isn't listed, or your question is about another product, contact our Help Center.

The Kelvin (K) is the unit of color temperature. 4150K is the brightest, most natural white light, similar to daytime sunlight, and is therefore the color temperature PIAA uses most as a base for our technology. Blue light is more fatiguing to the eyes — both for oncoming traffic and for the driver. Oncoming cars see your lights only briefly, but as the driver you deal with it for the whole drive. The bluer the tint cast on the road, the more quickly your eyes become tired.

Fog lights provide illumination forward of the vehicle that enhances visibility in fog, rain, snow, or dust, and are intended to be used together with standard headlamp low beams. Driving lights are mounted to provide illumination forward of the vehicle and are intended to supplement the high beam of a standard headlamp system — not for use alone or with the low beam.

Some moisture inside the lamp is normal and should dry out after a few minutes of operation. If it doesn't, check the following:

• The lens may be upside down. The PIAA name must read right-side up so the vent on the bottom can drain.
• The lens/reflector unit may not be mounted tight against the housing. Loosen, then re-tighten the screws.
• The gasket may be twisted or pinched. Some gaskets have a vent gap — make sure it's on the bottom.
• Lamps with a "snorkel" type wiring grommet in the back of the housing must have the opening facing down.
• In damp conditions, some condensation in the lens is normal and should clear after a few minutes of operation.
• 90 Pro lamps have a vent on the back of the housing. If the lens is turned over, the vent must be reversed too.

Bulb failures caused by voltage surges have become more common as new vehicles place greater demands on factory electrical systems. The main lamp ground wire must be connected to the battery negative terminal, or to a cable leading to it. If a voltage surge occurs, the bulb can look like it was struck by lightning — the metal base and glass will be burnt, or the filament will blow. Check all connections; a loose connection can cause premature failure. There are often power spikes on vehicle start-up, so make sure your lights are off when starting. You can test for spikes with a voltage tester at the light harness where it plugs into the lamp — anything over 13.6 volts is considered a spike.

Other causes of short bulb life or blown fuses:

• Check the wiring leading to the lamp for cuts, burns, or wear. Tape over or replace damaged wiring.
• Check the plug-in connectors. If corroded, clean them, then fill with dielectric (non-conductive) grease to keep moisture out.
• Check inside the lamp — the rubber insulator over the positive white wire must fully cover the connection to the bulb pigtail (it snaps into place when fully seated).

When driving in harsh terrain, our rally racers silicone the guards to the lamp in four places — this works well to keep them secure.

Start by analyzing the kind of driving you do or plan to do. The key is to build a lighting system you can drive within, whatever your speed. For slow "wheeling," lean toward a wider, spread fog pattern. For high-speed off-road driving, think in terms of powerful beams that throw light as far ahead as you need to see at speed.

Using a voltage meter, test for power coming from the switch to the relay. If there's power, continue to the relay; if not, confirm you have power to the switch. Then test power out of the relay — this can be done at the harness plug to the lamp. If you have power to the relay but none at the lamp, the relay is bad. (Some relays have a fuse inside; remove the cover and check it — power won't pass with a blown fuse.) Some harnesses also use an inline fuse on the power wire from the battery.

No. All of our bulbs draw factory wattage and will not harm your wiring.

Laws vary from state to state, but in many cases yes — you can wire your lights to any ignition-switched power supply. Check your local laws before wiring.

Proper aiming is the most important part of any auxiliary lamp installation. See our Lamp Aiming Guide for step-by-step alignment instructions.

All PIAA lamps come complete with installation instructions. If you've lost yours, you can search for the product and download them on our Installation Instructions page.

Yes — PIAA lamps are designed to function properly mounted upright or upside down, as long as a few details are observed. Lamps with a "snorkel" type wiring grommet in the back of the housing must have the opening facing down, and the PIAA name must read right-side up so the vent on the bottom can drain. Proper aiming remains the most important part of installation — refer to the Lamp Aiming Guide for alignment.

Find a dealer using our Dealer Locator.

PIAA lamps are intended for use solely as auxiliary lighting, and lighting laws vary from state to state. PIAA makes no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, as to the legality of its products for street use on any vehicle or in any location. PIAA lamps are designed to improve visibility during night-time driving and inclement weather; however, irresponsible use of any auxiliary light can be dangerous and illegal. Consult the individual lamp web pages or customer service to determine if your chosen lamp is SAE compliant. PIAA 9000 Series bulbs are DOT/SAE compliant and street legal in all 50 states and Canada — please refer to individual bulb listings for DOT/SAE compliance.

See full details on our Returns & Warranty Policy page.

If a PIAA product is suspected to be defective, it must be submitted freight-prepaid to an authorized dealer or distributor for warranty inspection, including the receipt or other proof of purchase and a description of the problem. The product will be inspected; if found defective and covered by the Limited Warranty, the sole remedy is repair or replacement at PIAA's option. A repaired or replacement product ships back at no charge and is warranted free from defects in workmanship and materials under normal use for as long as the original purchaser owns it. Removal, installation, and reinstallation costs are not covered. See the Returns & Warranty Policy page for more information.